Organization and mandate

Our organization and mandate

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court.

The CTA is made up of five full-time Members; up to three temporary Members may also be named. The Members, who are all based in the National Capital Region, are supported in their decision-making process by some 240 employees and administrative staff.

The CTA has three core mandates

We help ensure that the national transportation system runs efficiently and smoothly in the interests of all Canadians: those who work and invest in it; the producers, shippers, travellers and businesses who rely on it; and the communities where it operates.

We protect the human right of persons with disabilities to an accessible transportation network.

We provide consumer protection for air passengers.

Our tools

To help advance these mandates, we have three tools at our disposal:

Rule-making: We develop and enforce ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and that level the playing field among competitors. These rules can take the form of binding regulations or less formal guidelines, codes of practice or interpretation notes.

Dispute resolution: We resolve disputes that arise between transportation providers on the one hand, and their clients and neighbours on the other, using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication.

Information provision: We provide information on the transportation system, the rights and responsibilities of transportation providers and users, and the Agency's legislation and services.

Our values

Our Code of Values and Ethics outlines the core values and expected behaviours that guide us in all activities related to our professional duties. Our guiding values are:

Respect for democracy - We uphold Canadian parliamentary democracy and promote constructive and timely exchange of views and information.

Respect for people - We treat people with dignity and fairness and foster a cooperative, rewarding working environment. Integrity - We act with honesty, fairness, impartiality and transparency.

Stewardship - We use and manage our resources wisely and take full responsibility for our obligations and commitments.

Excellence - We provide the highest quality service through innovation, professionalism and responsiveness.

Scott Streiner, Chair and CEO

Scott Streiner began a five-year term as Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on July 20, 2015. Since that time, he has taken a series of steps to enhance the CTA's ability to respond to the needs of a rapidly evolving national transportation system, its customers, and the communities in which the system operates. These steps include: realigning the CTA's internal structure and recruiting top-notch talent to serve on the executive team; putting in place an action plan to foster a healthy, high‑performing organization; increasing public awareness of the CTA's roles and services through speeches, media interviews, and social media; introducing innovative approaches to delivering the CTA's regulatory and adjudicative mandates; and launching a broad review of the full suite of regulations, codes, and guidelines administered by the CTA.

Scott also led the revitalization of the Council of Federal Tribunal Chairs in 2016 and 2017, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals.

Prior to joining the CTA, Scott had a 25-year career in the federal public service. As Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Economic and Regional Development Policy, he served as Secretary to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Prosperity and played a key role in preparing advice to the Prime Minister on economic, environmental and trade matters, including in the areas of transportation and infrastructure. As Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy with Transport Canada, he led the development of policy options and advice on issues touching all modes of the national transportation system, and ran the Department’s international, intergovernmental and data analysis functions.

Earlier positions included Executive Director of the Aerospace Review; Assistant Deputy Minister with the Labour Program; Vice President, Program Delivery with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency; Director General, Human Resources with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; Director of Operations for the Reference Group of Ministers on Aboriginal Policy; Machinery of Government Officer at the Privy Council Office; and Director of Pay Equity with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Scott has led Canadian delegations abroad, including to India, China, and the International Labour Organization. He has also served as the Government Member with NAV Canada, Canada's Ministerial Designee under the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation, Chair of the Council of Governors of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, and a Director on the Board of the Soloway Jewish Community Centre.

Scott received a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from the Hebrew University, a master’s degree in International Relations from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, and a PhD in Political Science from Carleton University. He spent a year at Carleton University as a Public Servant in Residence and has taught courses, published articles, and made conference presentations on human rights, Middle Eastern history and politics, and public policy.

Elizabeth C. Barker, Vice-Chair

Liz Barker began a five-year term as Vice-Chair and Member of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) on April 3, 2018.

Liz joined the CTA's predecessor, the National Transportation Agency, in 1991 as counsel. She has held several positions at the CTA, including, most recently, Chief Corporate Officer, Senior General Counsel and Secretary. She has worked in all areas of the Agency’s mandate over the years, but has specialized in advising the tribunal in complex dispute adjudications and oral hearings on controversial subjects including rail level of service complaints, a wide range of complex accessible transportation disputes, and ministerial inquiries into marine pilotage and the accessibility of inter-city motor coach services. She has also worked extensively in the development of the Agency’s approach to its human rights mandate, administrative monetary penalties regime, alternative dispute resolution, final offer arbitration, and rail level of service arbitration. She has appeared as counsel before all levels of court, including the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada, as co-counsel in Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc., [2007] 1 S.C.R. 650.

Liz was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2016 for her work at the Agency, in particular in accessible transportation, the administrative monetary penalties program, and for her leadership of the Legal Services Branch.

Liz received her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1987 and her B.A. (Honours in Law) from Carleton University in 1984. She has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 1989.

William G. McMurray, Member

William G. McMurray became a Member of the Canadian Transportation Agency on July 28, 2014.

Prior to his appointment to the Agency, he served as Vice-Chairperson of the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

A lawyer, Mr. McMurray practised administrative law and litigation in the private sector for over 23 years. He acted as counsel for some of Canada’s largest employers in the federal transportation industry. He successfully pleaded complex cases before a number of federal administrative tribunals, including the Agency and its predecessors. He has argued cases, in both official languages, before the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal and has appeared in all levels of the civil courts. While practising law, he also taught “transportation law and regulation” at McGill University in Montréal for over ten years.

He studied common law and civil law at the University of Ottawa and studied political economy at Université Laval in Québec City and at the University of Toronto. Mr. McMurray completed his articles of clerkship while working in the Law Department of the former Canadian Transport Commission.

He has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1986.

Mark MacKeigan, Member

Mark MacKeigan began a four-year term as a Member of the Canadian Transportation Agency on May 28, 2018.

He comes to the Agency from The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, the not-for-profit operator of the federal government's Seaway assets, where he was Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary from 2014.

Mark is not entirely new to the Agency, having served previously as a Member from 2007 to 2014 and as legal counsel on specific files in a contract position during 1996.

His transportation law experience includes six years as senior legal counsel with the International Air Transport Association in Montréal from 2001 to 2007, focusing on competition law, cargo services, aviation regulatory and public international law matters. From 1996 to 2000, he was legal counsel with NAV CANADA, the country's provider of civil air navigation services.

Mark began his legal career in private practice in Toronto. After earning a Bachelor of Arts with highest honours in Political Science from Carleton University, Mark obtained his law degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Laws from the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in European Union Competition Law from King's College London.

He is a member of the Bars of Ontario and the State of New York and is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Mary Tobin Oates, Member

After 25 years of public service, Mary Tobin Oates joined the Canadian Transportation Agency on 9 July 2018. As a lawyer, Mary practised in different areas of law, largely in public and administrative law. She appeared before the Pension Appeals Board and the Federal Court of Appeal regarding disability benefits under the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security Act. Mary served as a Board member of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board where she determined eligibility for disability benefits for members of the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Mary provided legal and policy advice on indigenous issues to the Department of Justice and to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. She also served as Board member to Tungasuvvingat Inuit, a not-for-profit, charitable organization that provides services to and advocates on behalf of Inuit who live in southern Canada.

Before becoming a lawyer, Mary worked as a technical editor for the Canadian Transportation Accident and Safety Board (now Transportation Safety Board).

Mary received her Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario (formerly the Law Society of Upper Canada) since February 1997.

Heather Smith, Member

Heather Smith became a full-time Member of the Canadian Transportation Agency on August 27, 2018. Heather was most recently Vice-President, Operations at the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. In previous positions, Heather was Executive Director in the Government Operations Sector of Treasury Board Secretariat, and Director General in the Strategic Policy Branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Heather held several management positions within Justice Canada, as General Counsel and Head of AAFC Legal Services, General Counsel and Head of Legal Services at the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and General Counsel in the Legal Services Unit of Social Development Canada/Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

Heather also served as legal counsel at Environment Canada Legal Services and Manager of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Office at Environment Canada. Heather holds a B.A.(Hons.) from the University of King's College and an L.L.B. from the University of Toronto. She has also earned the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from the McMaster/DeGroote Directors College.

Gerald Dickie, temporary Member

Gerald Dickie comes to the Canadian Transportation Agency after having worked for 36 years in the grain industry at different port locations. He spent the first 6 years in Thunder Bay at the Cargill Terminal. The next 30 years, he worked at the Port of Metro Vancouver. He initially worked on the rehabilitation of the Alberta Wheat Pool Terminal (now Cascadia Terminal) and was part of the team that automated the facility and introduced unit train unloading capabilities. In July of 2007, as a result of the ownership change of Agricore United, he moved to the North Vancouver Cargill Facility (formerly SWP) as the General Manager. He is an experienced manager of people, capital projects, business operations, labour negotiations, supply chains and strategy.

The 30 years he spent working at the Port of Vancouver included being part of several external groups. He has held every position within the Vancouver Terminal Elevator Association, from President to Secretary. He was a member of the Senior Port Executive Committee Group, the Port Competitiveness Committee, BC Terminals Association and North Shore Waterfront Industry Association. This included leadership roles and active work in everything from port education for the community to Low Level Road Initiative and social licence activities. This experience included a good exposure to the issues that all port tenants, railway companies, vessel companies and customers faced.

He has worked with Transport Canada on the Winter Rail Contingency Meeting programs and on supply chain issues with a number of groups. He is familiar with marine and rail supply chains and with the producers, shippers and customers that rely on these chains.

Gerald has an MBA from Royal Roads University and a BScF from Lakehead University.

Lenore Duff, temporary Member

Lenore Duff is a former public service executive with 28 years of service with the Government of Canada whose positions included Director General, Strategic Initiatives at the Labour Program; Director General, Surface Transportation Policy at Transport Canada; and Senior Privy Council Officer supporting the Social Affairs Committee of Cabinet. Her primary focus throughout her career has been on the development of policy and legislation across a broad range of economic and social policy areas.

As Director General, Surface Transportation Policy at Transport Canada, Lenore was responsible for developing policy options and providing advice on strengthening the freight rail liability and compensation regime, as well as on reforming freight rail provisions as part of the recent modernization of the Canada Transportation Act. At the Labour Program, her work included leading the development of a series of legislative initiatives designed to enhance protections for federally regulated employees. Prior to that, Lenore was responsible for the development of policy initiatives related to income, employment and disability.

In the course of her career, Lenore has also had the opportunity to conduct consultations with a broad range of industry, civil society and government stakeholders to inform the development of policy and legislation.

Lenore earned both a Bachelor of Arts (Honours Sociology) and Master of Arts in Sociology from Carleton University.